HMS Amethyst (1903)
| Company type | Third-class protected cruiser |
|---|---|
| Industry | Naval warfare |
| Founded | January 1903 |
| Founder | Armstrong Whitworth (builder) |
| Defunct | October 1, 1920 |
| Fate | Sold for dismantling |
| Headquarters | Elswick , United Kingdom |
| Products | Warship |
HMS Amethyst was a third-class protected cruiser belonging to the Topaze class within the Royal Navy. Launched in 1903, she saw action during World War I, operating in the Dardanelles and Gallipoli campaigns as well as in the Mediterranean and South Atlantic regions. Ultimately, she was sold for dismantling in 1920.
Construction
The vessel's construction commenced in January 1903 at Armstrong’s Elswick yard. She was launched on 5 November 1903 and reached completion by March 1905.[1]
Before Amethyst’s introduction, steam turbines had only been installed on destroyer-class warships of the largest size. Incorporating turbines into Amethyst resulted in a reduction of cruising range by approximately 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 km) at 10 knots, yet it enhanced endurance by about 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km) when maintaining speeds near 20 knots, relative to her sister vessels.[1]
World War I
Battle of Heligoland Bight
At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, HMS Amethyst was assigned to the Royal Navy’s Harwich force. She took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight under the leadership of Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt. Later that year, she was reassigned to the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron.
Dardanelles Campaign
Minesweeping operations
Amethyst participated in the protective operation during the minesweeping activities in the Dardanelles, engaging in exchanges of fire with Turkish fortifications on 1 and 4 March 1915. On the evening of 4 March, she embarked wounded members of the landing party and transferred them the following day to Soudan and SS Braemar Castle. Throughout the night hours from 6 to 11 March, she was involved in missions targeting mines within the Dardanelles, frequently coming under fire from field artillery, coastal forts, and searchlights. At 04:10 on 14 March, Amethyst sustained a hit from field artillery, resulting in the deaths of 22 crew members. An additional 38 were injured, with four succumbing to their wounds later. Following this damage, she withdrew to Tenedos for necessary repairs. Commander G. J. Todd, the Captain, along with Senior Lieutenant James C. J. Soutter, received commendations in the Naval Dispatch issued by Vice Admiral Carden on 17 March 1914.
Gallipoli Landings
On 24 April 1915, Amethyst together with her sister ship Sapphire transported soldiers and landed them via trawler at Y beach located on the northwest coast of the Gallipoli Peninsula during the early hours of 25 April. She provided artillery support to British forces ashore by shelling enemy positions until 27 April. By mid-morning on that day, with conditions ashore described as "desperate," surviving troops began returning aboard; Amethyst took on board more than 250 officers and men, many of whom were wounded.
In subsequent days, Amethyst maintained her support role for operations at W, Y, and Z beaches. On 3 May, stationed off Z beach, she reported intense gunfire on land and large-caliber enemy shells landing near British naval vessels. During the night of 5 May, troops were evacuated from Z beach to be redeployed to X and Y beaches.
The final involvement of Amethyst in the landings took place on 18 May when she advanced up the Gulf of Adramyt before dawn, escorted by destroyers, arriving at Asia Bay shortly after 05:00. An armed party was dispatched by boat to assess the feasibility of removing enemy lighters but returned within twenty minutes due to obstruction by a sandbar. Two enemy oil tanks were destroyed by gunfire, and at 06:45 an enemy field gun battery commenced firing. Amethyst returned fire effectively silencing these guns but sustained hits resulting in one rating killed and four wounded.
Mediterranean
Following patrol duties out of Brindisi during June and July 1915, Amethyst underwent a refit in dry dock from 28 July to 17 August. She made her way back to Brindisi by 15 September and was present on 27 September when the Italian battleship Benedetto Brin detonated near the outer harbour buoys. The ship’s boats played a crucial role in assisting with the rescue of survivors.
Throughout much of autumn 1915, Amethyst remained docked, serving as a temporary depot ship for British submarines transiting the area on patrol. On 19 November, she departed for Malta, continuing onward to Gibraltar, where she arrived on 27 November. Beginning 1 December, she set sail for Portsmouth, followed by a journey to Barrow-in-Furness, where she moored at Devonshire Dock on 11 December. She stayed there until 14 March 1916 before heading south to Plymouth, then to Bilbao, and finally reaching Gibraltar on 23 March.
South America
In 1916, command of Amethyst passed to Commander Edward Unwin, who had been awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Gallipoli campaign. The ship was deployed to South America, departing Gibraltar on 8 May 1916.
On 23 November 1916, while stationed near Viçosa Reef off Brazil’s coast, command transferred to Commander the Earl of Glasgow.
During December 1916, Amethyst, accompanied by two armed merchant cruisers—HMS Macedonia and HMS Orama—and two colliers, SS Minieh and SS Daleham, was tasked with locating the German commerce raider SMS Möwe. On 9 January, Möwe sank the collier Minieh. When the group failed to rendezvous as planned, a search operation commenced. The squadron eventually returned to the Port of Bahia without success. Another effort to track down Möwe occurred on 24 January with the addition of HMS Glasgow, but this too yielded no results. Further patrols aimed at intercepting German surface raiders were carried out in April and May 1917.
After an extended period in Rio de Janeiro, Amethyst departed on 5 April 1918, conducting coastal patrols and vessel inspections before arriving in Montevideo on 10 March. On 31 May 1918, she left Bahia, Brazil, bound for Devonport. En route, she rendezvoused with HMS Britannia off Sierra Leone's coast and took aboard 295 cases of gold bullion valued at approximately £1 million. She reached Devonport on 25 June. On 1 July 1918, Amethyst sailed from Devonport to Barrow-in-Furness, entering dry dock where she remained through the end of the war.
Post-World War I Service
Amethyst was brought back into active duty on 20 November 1918. During her voyage to Gibraltar, she made a stop in Lisbon on 21 December to attend the funeral of Portugal’s late President, Sidónio Pais.
Final Disposition
The vessel was decommissioned permanently on 10 February 1919 at Malta and subsequently sold for dismantling on 1 October 1920. While being towed to the scrapyard at Milford Haven in November, the towline snapped amid severe weather conditions. The New Quay lifeboat rescued seven of the eight crew members onboard Amethyst. The ship’s captain was evacuated two days later during the ongoing storm by the Aberystwyth lifeboat.